Windows Weekly 968: "Uncharted Territory – Big Changes in the Insider Program"

Podcast: Windows Weekly (TWiT)
Date: January 29, 2026
Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, Richard Campbell

Overview

This episode dives deep into sweeping changes in the Windows Insider Program, the latest in Windows 11 updates (including a rough Patch Tuesday), and the ongoing impact of AI on both consumer and enterprise Microsoft ecosystems. The hosts unpack Microsoft's latest earnings (as they break), Intel's struggles, the influence of AI on software development, and broader industry trends around privacy, layoffs, and automation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Windows Insider Program & Windows 11 Updates

(07:25 – 16:28)

• Insider Channels in Transition:
  Paul details confusion in the Windows Insider build channels:

  • "Last week... there was a beta build but not a dev build. So I speculated at the time, well, maybe dev is moving onto the next thing..." (07:25)
  • Microsoft released nearly identical dev and beta builds, then split them for new testing, possibly signaling 26H1 is on the horizon, despite versions not yet being named as such.

• Patch Tuesday Woes:

  • January's Patch Tuesday update was buggy:
    • Required two separate emergency patches to resolve issues with hibernation, RDP, and apps freezing during file saves to cloud storage.
    • "Apparently this thing was so buggy that they have now had to issue two sets of emergency patches..." (16:28)

• Cross-Device Improvements:

  • Updates to support more Android vendors (Vivo, Honor, Oppo, Samsung, Xiaomi) for cross-device resume (Spotify, Office docs, browser sessions).

• Smart App Control Eased:

  • Now can be toggled on/off in the UI — great for developers often running unsigned or experimental apps.
  • "Developers are probably going to just want to leave it off, frankly, because they’re always testing apps and things..." (13:08, Paul)

• Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-In Security (ESS):

  • New support for external fingerprint readers, making it more feasible for custom desktop builds.

2. Microsoft Earnings, AI Investments, and Layoffs

(27:09 – 38:14, 132:15 – 139:34)

• Live Earnings Drop:

  • Microsoft’s quarterly results:
    • Revenue: $81.3 billion
    • Net income: $38.5 billion
    • Cloud (Azure) up 29%, Productivity (M365) up 16%; personal computing down 3%, Xbox down 5%
  • "Net income, yeah. $38.5 billion on revenues of $81.3 [billion]." (132:22)
  • Discussion on AI costs: Capex is massive (~$37.5 billion quarterly), but hard to trace profit directly from AI.

• Layoffs Amid Profit:

  • Amazon to cut ~16,000 corporate roles (part of ~30,000 over recent periods).
  • Morale issues flagged at Microsoft amid restructuring and long-term cost control for AI.
  • "Morale is in the tank. Yeah." (64:58, Richard)
  • "It's kind of amazing that there are 30,000 corporate workers to lay off." (64:10, Leo)

• Industry Trend:

  • Earnings, restructuring, and automation tightly linked to containing and hiding the astronomical costs of AI.

3. Intel’s Struggles and Industry Shifts

(29:37 – 38:55)

• Big Losses, Bleak Outlook:

  • Net loss: $300M on $52.9B annual revenues.
  • PC chip business declining, data center/AI up — but not enough.
  • "If anyone was holding out hope that Intel was going to have some awesome rebound, you might want to just turn this off." (29:37, Paul)

• Reliability Issues:
  Paul and Leo discuss real-world reliability challenges on Intel laptops (power management, peripherals, etc.) with anecdotal evidence Snapdragon-based devices are now more stable.

4. AI’s Impact on Software Development & User Empowerment

(56:45 – 101:04)

• Rise of "Vibe Coding":
  Regular users are now coding with AI assistants like Claude or ChatGPT to automate tasks, convert data, or make personal utilities in minutes.

  • Leo: "[Claude code] created a program that took everything out of Obsidian and put it into Day One... 300 entries moved over. That's a one-time-only program. I'm never going to use it again." (90:50)

• Apps Are Dead? Long Live Apps:

  • Paul argues the paradigm is shifting from traditional "apps" to disposable, just-in-time, user-coded tools powered by AI and built on semantic, open interfaces.
  • "These are new apps. We've come full circle or we are in the process of coming full circle. It's fascinating to me..." (88:38, Paul)

• Privacy and Reverse Engineering Advocacy:

  • Extended discussion on the need for open, user-controlled computing and how regulatory or geographic workarounds (e.g., pro–reverse engineering jurisdictions) could unlock innovation.

• Subscription/AI Cost Paradox:

  • Both OpenAI and Google debut cut-rate AI plans ($8/mo vs $20+), raising questions about long-term sustainability and future business models.

5. Miscellaneous Microsoft and Ecosystem News

(105:43 – 110:38)

• Windows App Dev CLI Preview:

  • New command-line tool (WIN app) for building Windows apps, targeting non–Visual Studio, cross-platform, or Electron-type developers.
  • "All right. A tool for people who need to work with Windows but don't live in the Microsoft dev environment." (107:44, Richard)

• Xbox Updates:

  • Refreshed Xbox Cloud Gaming web app interface (possibly prepping for ad-supported tier); Fable getting a multiplatform remake.

• Password Management Picks:

  • Paul’s tip: Use a cross-platform password manager — Bitwarden and Proton Pass recommended for their free tiers and open source posture.

• Whiskey of the Week:

  • Richard spotlights Tullibardine 18 — a Highland single malt, "light and fruity, full of caramel and vanilla" and a value at $140 for an 18-year-old.

Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• Paul on Windows Patch Tuesday Fiasco (16:28):
  "Apparently this thing was so buggy that they have now had to issue two sets of emergency patches..."

• Richard on AI Coding Changes (78:14):
  "Torturing agents has become highly productive. On the other hand, they're wildly productive. What used to be a six week sprint's less than a week in the dev space."

• Leo on the New Era of Computing (100:44):
  "For those of us who've been covering computing as you have and Richard has forever, this is a new era. That's very interesting... It's not boring anymore."

• Paul on the End of Apps (88:38):
  "It's the end of apps, but it's like, long live these new apps. Like, these are new apps. We've come full circle."

• On Morale at Microsoft (64:58):
  "Morale is in the tank. Yeah. Yeah. New threat of another round of layoffs... people are so tired." (Richard)

• Leo on AI-generated Content Realization (28:34):
  "Literally at the top there's a warning from Apple that says this is AI generated content. Well, I've never seen... that before."

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intro, casual banter: 00:00 – 07:25
• Windows 11 Insider & Patch Tuesday discussion: 07:25 – 16:28
• Patch Tuesday fallout & Microsoft internal changes: 16:28 – 22:08
• Earnings preview & AI impact: 27:09 – 38:55
• Intel, hardware, and reliability chat: 29:37 – 38:55
• AI's user empowerment revolution: 56:45 – 101:04
• Microsoft’s Quarterly Earnings Live Reaction: 132:15 – 139:34

Tone

• Candid, dryly humorous, sometimes irreverent — hosts are industry veterans ("winners and dozers") used to parsing Microsoft's cryptic moves and sharing war stories.
• Nostalgic yet future-leaning — frequent reflections on past tech eras (home computers, Visual Basic), but clear recognition of AI’s disruption and opportunity.

Summary Takeaway

This episode marks "uncharted territory" for Microsoft and tech at large — from reshuffled Insider builds and unreliable updates to AI’s reinvention of work, development, and even what "apps" mean. As big tech’s financials, layoffs, and automation strategies collide, the hosts underscore a pivotal moment: the tools for tailoring software (and resisting big tech’s control) are increasingly in the hands of users themselves — powered by AI, but shadowed by the cost, privacy, and societal implications that come with it.

Listen for:

• Breaking Microsoft earnings with instant analysis
• Lively stories and debates about hardware reliability, privacy, the AI economy, and the culture of computing change
• Practical advice on password management, privacy tools, and a fine whisky recommendation

End of Summary